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Retail has been the commercial real estate chameleon, changing and adapting with the times, including the rise of e-commerce and COVID-19. The post-pandemic rebirth of the sector has made major headlines and many retail operators and owners see flying colors.  Michael Fitzgerald, executive director and head of US retail investments at W. P. Carey, sees three major trends that sector stakeholders should be watching: the strength of needs-based retail, a development switch favoring sale

A “great tool in really uncertain times,” the sale-leaseback can give immediate access to capital and minimize debt market exposure during uneasy economic periods. But for many looking to utilize it, the uncertainty of whether or not a deal will be successful can be a barrier to fully exploring it. Jason Patterson, SVP, investments at W. P. Carey, starts by recommending thorough planning and transparency and careful selection of the buyer and future landlord. “Especially with interest rates

The food production sector has been a significant source of recent deal flow for W. P. Carey – in 2020 we completed five investments in the sector totaling $210 million. In part, this is due to the overall stability of the industry. Even amid a global pandemic, food is essential, and most food companies have continued to perform well – particularly those with a diversified customer base. As a result, many food production companies are seeking capital to keep up with demand and discovering the

The M&A market is busier than ever. As dealmakers compete to close deals that will be profitable down the road, many are looking more carefully at their financing options. To explore this notion, M&A put together a roundtable, which focused on what financing options private equity firms are using, what role sale-leasebacks and other financing tools are playing in today’s market, and how private equity firms are taking advantage of their different options to win deals and create value.

With financing options restricted by interest rate uncertainty, corporate real estate sellers have been turning to sale-leasebacks. It’s easy to see why: these deals offer liquidity and immediacy. For the net lease sector at large, Tyler Swann, managing director, investments at W. P. Carey, is seeing US deal flow coming almost exclusively from new sale-leasebacks versus acquisitions of existing leases, a change largely driven by the changing capital markets landscape.  CRE Psychology

In 2023, higher debt costs, a looming $2 trillion-plus wave of corporate debt coming due and other economic uncertainty have clouded the CRE outlook. And while the net lease sector, with its low risk and steady income, has weathered recent economic headwinds better than most, it’s not immune. Execution uncertainty was a central theme in 2023, reports Zachary Pasanen, managing director, investments at W. P. Carey. “With the ramp-up in interest rates, buyers and sellers have struggled to meet at

As many retailers nationwide are forced to close down and reduce property footprints due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, one particular sector is looking to grow – food retail.  Driven by changing consumer habits such as eating more at home and the desire to “stock up” on groceries, food retail has seen growing demand in recent months. In fact, a recent survey showed that consumers are spending 37 percent more per grocery trip than they did before the pandemic. In addition, while in

The net lease retail sector continues to outperform despite changing interest rates, with a growing number of retailers expanding their footprints or developing new properties against a “compelling” cap rate environment. That’s according to Michael Fitzgerald, executive director, head of US Retail, W. P. Carey, who told GlobeSt at ICSC Las Vegas that many retailers are “aggressively expanding” in their markets.   “We’ve seen a lot of activity in sale-leaseback and we are bullish on net

William P. Carey II currently serves as Executive Director of the Credit & Risk team at W. P. Carey. He works with the Investments and Asset Management teams to oversee credit and real estate diligence for all new investments and larger capital transactions in the portfolio. Will joined W. P. Carey in September 2010 as an Analyst in the Office of the Chairman, having previously served as an intern with the firm. Will graduated with a B.A. from Sewanee and received an M.B.A. from the Wharton

Jolette Persson joined W. P. Carey’s European Investments Team in the London office in August 2021. Prior to W. P. Carey, Jolette worked at Hottinger Capital Partners, a Swiss/UK based multi-family office as part of its private equity team.  Prior to joining Hottinger, Jolette worked at Rathbones Plc as a lead analyst in executing opportunities within higher-risk asset classes, including private equity and unrated/high yield fixed income instruments. Jolette graduated with a BA Honors